


Go the Distance

by merlin_the_dragonlord



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, BAMF Merlin, Demigods, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-30
Packaged: 2018-04-07 14:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4266894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlin_the_dragonlord/pseuds/merlin_the_dragonlord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eris threw her hands out and sent out shadows to strike at Merlin. He laughed. As Goddess of Chaos, she could control the shadows to some extent. But as the son of Hades, his power was absolute. He was <i>born</i> in the shadows. She merely befriended them. </p><p>Merlin lashed the shadows to himself and prepared for an attack. He had one shot and he had to make it count. For Arthur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All of my thanks goes to my wonderful beta Libby, who had to deal with my insane nagging. Thanks also to my friends Christine and [snapshotmaestro](%E2%80%9Dwww.snapshotmaestro.tumblr.com%E2%80%9D) for letting me bounce ideas off of them. 
> 
> This is a demigod AU with Merlin and Arthur. Title shamelessly taken from my favorite song in Disney's Hercules.

“Mommy, mommy, look at what I can do!” Footsteps rushed into the kitchen, where Hunith was preparing dinner. She placed the knife down on the counter before kneeling down to face her excited six-year old son.

“What is it, sweetie?” She asked, drying her hands on her apron.

Merlin took a deep breath and held out his tiny hands. He scrunched his face in concentration and his eyes glowed a bright gold. That gold color caused Hunith to go cold as she recognized what was happening. Shadows swirled around in his palm and manifested into a small dragon that flew around the room. Hunith frowned as she watched the dragon land on the stove and dissipate into nothingness. Looking back to Merlin, she saw that his smile had vanished, a result of her lack of reaction. “Do you not like it, mommy?” His lower lip trembled a little and he looked down as his outstretched hands.  

Fighting through her overwhelming emotions, she forced a smile. There was no reason to alarm her son. “No, sweetie, it’s wonderful.” She took his hands in hers and looked him dead in the eyes. It was too early for his powers to be manifesting. “Merlin, you need to promise me something.”

“Anything, mommy.” He said eagerly, willing to do anything to please his beloved mother. It broke her heart seeing her son’s happy face and knowing that she would have to send him away for his own safety.

“This needs to be our secret, okay?” She watched Merlin’s face crumple.

“Why?” He asked inquisitively, a little disappointment coloring his voice. Of course, Merlin would want to show off his superpower to his friends, as a six year old is wont to do, but Hunith desperately needed to avoid unwanted attention.

“Because, sweetheart, if people know you can do this, bad people will take you away from mommy.” She said softly. “Do you understand?” He nodded seriously. “Good boy. Go play in the living room, sweetheart. Dinner will be done soon. Remember, our secret, right?” She smiled as she placed her finger over her lips.

He mimicked her before hugging her and running off. She watched him enter the living room and turned back to the half-prepared ingredients on the counter. Thoughts swirled through her mind chaotically and she let out a small laugh of amusement when she realized how life-changing the past few minutes had been. Five minutes ago, it was just any ordinary day, but all of a sudden, her entire life was turned upside-down. She knew that something as mundane as preparing dinner would be too difficult of a task right now, so she did the next best thing. She picked her phone up and dialed the nearby pizza parlor.

The pizza arrived half an hour later, after Hunith had cleaned up the kitchen (a little more than necessary, but cleaning always tended to preoccupy her). Merlin was munching happily away in the living room while watching his favorite TV show. Making sure that he was preoccupied, she walked upstairs to her room and sat at the vanity. She opened up the bottommost drawer and began rifling around before she found what she was looking for- a black mirror with opals inlaid around the reflective surface. She placed it on the tabletop and opened another drawer to pull out a needle, which she used to prick the tip of her finger, allowing blood to well up and she pressed it against the largest opal on the mirror. “This is Hunith Emrys, mother of the demigod Merlin Emrys, calling upon Hades, Lord of the Underworld.”

The surface turned green briefly before a pale, refined male face appeared. His black hair swept down into his eyes and brushed the lobes of his ears. Hunith smiled softly as she looked into the blue-grey eyes that she had fallen for and was glad to see him smile back. “Hello, Hunith.” He greeted, his voice a deep timbre. “What can I do for you?”

“Merlin’s powers are manifesting.” She whispered a little. Saying it any louder would make it seem too real.

“So soon? But he’s only…” He paused. “How old is he now?” His face was stoic, but she knew him well enough to see the slight flush that colored his skin.

She smiled in amusement, not offended. As one of the few mortals who had traveled to the Underworld and returned, she knew exactly how time passed in the other realm. “He’s six now, Hades.”

“Six.” His eyebrows furrowed as he attempted to remember what age the last demigod he had sired began to manifest powers. It had been a few thousand years ago, so his memories were a little hazy. “That seems to be early. What did he do?”

“He made a shadow dragon fly around my kitchen.” She replied.

“He what?” Hades sat up straighter. Hunith wasn’t entirely sure how Merlin’s feat compared to other demigods, but she was at least aware that most children didn’t display demigod abilities until they were teenagers. “I am on my way to you. Keep him out of sight, Hunith.”

“I know. I’m not stupid.” She felt her patience wearing thin as she contemplated her options now. Hades could take Merlin back with him to the Underworld, and Hunith would, at best, see Merlin once a week. The very idea of being separated from Merlin for that long was abhorrent. But in order for them to remain together, they would need to be constantly moving and flying under the radar and that was really no way to raise a child. The final option was for Merlin to be sent away elsewhere where he would meet others like him and he could spend part of the year with her, which was, admittedly, better than nothing. She decided, ultimately, that the decision would be heavily based on Hades’ advice.

He frowned at her tone. “I’m sorry, I’m worried about him.”

She immediately felt contrite. “Of course. I should be the one apologizing, I’m sorry for snapping. I’ll see you soon.” He nodded and the mirror surface faded again back to normal.

She sat there and buried her face in her hands. This was such a mess. Minutes passed, before a pound at her room door jolted her out of her reverie. “Mommy?” It was Merlin.

Hunith stood and opened the door. “Yes, sweetheart?” She looked down at him.

“I’m done eating!” He smiled widely.

“Did you wash your dishes?”

“My new friend is doing them!” Anxiety spiked and she felt herself grow cold.  

“New friend?”

“Yup! Do you want to meet her?” Merlin turned and ran down the hall. She followed him as quickly as she could without full out running. As she rounded the corner, she saw him begin to descend the stairs.

“Merlin, be careful!” She followed him downstairs and into the kitchen, only to spot a cloaked figure at the sink, a colorful animal plate in one bony hand and a soapy sponge in the other.

Not pausing to contemplate the strangeness of the situation, she grabbed a broom nearby and brandished it. “Who are you and how did you get in?” She demanded.

The figure paused and the head of the cloak dipped forward. It put down the plates and turned to face Hunith. She was unnerved by the skeleton, but had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to this than it seemed. “Young master summoned me.” The voice was no more than a whisper, but it seemed to resonate throughout the space around them. Hunith was amused to recognize resignation in its tone. She could definitely relate.

“… Merlin summoned you?”

“Yes, young master called me from my station. I had to obey.”

“Merlin, what did you do?” She turned to glance sharply at her son. He looked abashed.

“The shadows started talking to me and I wanted a friend to play with and and and… am I in trouble?” His eyes were filled with tears as he looked up.

She sighed for what felt like the millionth time today. “No sweetheart, I need you to send your new friend back, okay? He’s very busy.”

“She’s a girl and her name is Rowena! She’s very nice!”

“Okay, Merlin. I need you to send Rowena back home, okay? And thank her for doing your dishes.” She glanced at the skeleton. “That is… if it’s all right?”

Rowena inclined her head. “If young master commands, I obey.”

Merlin pouted. “Okay, mommy.” He walked up to Rowena and looked up. “Thank you for helping me with my dishes! You can go home now.”

“You’re welcome, young master. It was a pleasure meeting you.” She inclined her head and then vanished in a dark cloud of smoke.

“Merlin, sweetie, mommy’s going to have a visitor, okay?” Hunith lifted up the six year old in her arms, who automatically threw his arms around her neck. “He’s going to be here very soon.” And on cue, the doorbell rang. Hunith went to open the door, shifting Merlin to juggle him on a hip.

Hades stood there awkwardly, a large stuffed animal in his arms. Hunith had to stifle a laugh when she saw that the stuffed animal was Cerberus. “Hades, come in!” She stood aside to let the tall male in.

“Hello, Hunith.” Merlin watched the stranger with large eyes. “And this must be Merlin.”

“Who are you?” He asked, in the inquisitive way that six year olds do.

“My name’s Hades. I’m… well…” He looked at Hunith.

“Merlin, do you know how mommy said that daddy couldn’t be home because he’s working?” He nodded. “This is your daddy.”

Merlin stared at Hades and frowned. “You’re my daddy?”

The Olympian raised an eyebrow before giving a grim smile and nodding. “Yes, Merlin. I… I’m your father.”

The child cocked his head. “Are you here to be a family with us?” He asked. Hunith’s grip tightened on her son.

Hades stared at him, his expression unreadable. “I can’t, I’m sorry. My work needs me.” Merlin suddenly looked upset at this response and Hunith could tell that a crying fit was fast approaching. She had to figure out a way to distract him.

“Merlin, Hades is here to talk to you about the shadows and your new friend.” Hunith said carefully, watching his reaction.

“New friend?” Hades looked pensive.

“Rowena! She said she’s a… a…. death… eater?” Merlin’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember the name of what Rowena said she was.

“You summoned Rowena?” His eyebrows rose and when his son nodded, Hades turned to Hunith. “He needs to go to Gaius.”

Upon that, Hunith’s face turned pale. She knelt down and released Merlin. “Sweetheart, go play with your legos, okay?”

Merlin nodded and looked up at Hades. “Bye bye!”

“Wait, Merlin.” Hades held out the stuffed animal in his hand. “This is for you.”

Merlin’s eyes lit up. “Thank you!” He hugged the toy to his chest and bounded off.

“Are you sure about this?” Hunith shook her head. “I’m sorry, where are my manners. Come. I’ll make tea. If you still take tea?” She was aware that she was babbling, but she couldn’t help it. She turned and went to the kitchen.

“Thank you.” He followed her and sat down at the table. “I’m afraid that you’ll need to send Merlin to Gaius. I dread to think what would go after him, especially with his current abilities.” He heard a sharp crash and he looked up, alarmed.

Hunith was standing over the sink, a smashed teacup on the floor, knuckles white from her tight grip on the edge of the countertop. “I can’t….”

“You know the alternatives.” He said softly, waving a hand. Dark shadows swirled around the pieces. The two watched silently as the shadows lifted the shards and deposited them into the trashcan.

“He’s my son. He’s only six.” Her voice was desperate and emotional. “I’ve… I can’t let him go now. He’d never forgive me.”

Hades stared at her for a moment, contemplating. He spoke slowly. “… I can give you a few more years.”

Hope filled Hunith, but none of it made sense to her. Hades clearly just said that her son was in danger. “He’ll be destroyed!”

“I can protect him for four years, but then his powers will grow beyond my protection spell without my physical presence.”

Some more color came back to her face. “Do it. Do it.” She pleaded. “Do whatever you can.”

He nodded and paused, uncertainty in his face. “Do you… do you mind if I see him one day per week? I can help train his powers.”

“Of course.” She was still quiet. “He’s your son as well.”

“That, my dear Hunith, that he is.” Hades watched the shadows lazily, lost in thought. “He is strong. He will be a great demigod.” Hunith wagered she heard a bit of pride in his voice and smiled.

The two sat in silence as the kettle started whistling, but neither moved to remove it.

* * *

Seven-year old Merlin held on to his father’s hand and followed him down the dark stairs from his palace. “Where are we going?” He asked.

Hades gave him a small smile. “We’re going to the Elysian Fields. There’s someone I would like you to meet.”

“Okay!” Merlin stumbled on a stair and almost went tumbling down, but he was caught by shadows.

“Be careful, Merlin.” Hades chided. It was odd, having played father to Merlin for the past year after a millennia of not filling this role, but he cared deeply for the child. He was exceedingly bright, eager to learn, and Hades was startled to find how easily Merlin grasped the magic that flowed through their veins. Cerberus also adored the small child and was eager to play with him every chance he got, much to Hades’ dismay. Cerberus was supposed to be a _guard dog_ , not a fluffy plaything for a seven year old.

Once they arrived at the Elysian Fields, Hades looked around, searching the wide open field, littered with the occasional pomegranate tree. He found Persephone sitting on a bench under one of said trees, regaling tales to a small crowd of children. Merlin looked confused when he saw the other children. During the times he visited up until now, he hadn’t seen any children in the Underworld. He wasn’t quite aware of the meaning behind the spirits residing in the Underworld, but he knew that the souls here weren’t alive. Seeing children merely confused him. The child was still under the impression that children were invincible and that people didn’t die until they were old. Hades did not have the heart to tell him otherwise.

He watched his wife gesture wildly with her hands and it was clear that she was telling them the story of the time Cerberus had been infected with fleas. Hades remembered the incident very clearly- it was around the time of the Black Plague and Cerberus had annoyed Pestilence and as a result, acquired fleas. He had been inconsolable, itching and scratching to no ends, and accidentally crushed Charon’s boat. That was a whole other mess to sort out, but to make things worse, Cerberus then proceeded to fall into the River of Styx and to this day, he would not go within ten feet of the banks of any of the rivers, and Hades had to install special bridges for his guard dog. The end result to that catastrophe was shaving Cerberus so Hades could hunt down and find where Pestilence was hiding and to force him to leave the animal. Needless to say, Cerberus was not very frightening for a while.

Shuddering at the memories of that incident, he turned his attention back to Persephone and mused about her. She was everything he wished for in a Queen- she was strong and had a will made of steel. She would not hesitate to pass punishment on souls she thought corrupt, but her judgment was as solid as any. However, to those innocent souls, she felt the deepest empathy for. Hades remembered the first time she sat in the throne room and a child was brought before her. Her face had crumpled into sadness and she rose from the throne to step down to the child. She kneeled and placed a hand under his chin. It was then that Hades had no doubt in his mind that Persephone would make a perfect Queen of the Underworld. He strode over closer to the tree and called out her name. Merlin had to run a little to catch up.

She looked up at his voice and smiled when she saw Hades, her dark green eyes crinkling. “Run along, children. I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?” The children started to protest, but she silenced them with a look and they obediently left.

She stood and began to stride to her husband. “Welcome back.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and then looked down. “This must be Merlin.”

He was hiding shyly behind his father’s leg. Hades smiled and nudged him. “Say hello to your step-mother.”

“H-Hi.” Merlin slowly emerged out and looked up at her with wide eyes. “You’re very pretty.”

Persephone smiled and chuckled. “Thank you Merlin.” She brushed her light brown hair aside and knelt down to look Merlin in the eye. “Your father has been telling me about what you can do. How about you show me something?”

At the chance to show off for the pretty lady, Merlin opened his hands and at his command, the shadows came to him. He raised his hands and the shadows began to materialize and suddenly, there was a large dragon in the middle of the field. Hades had to let out a sigh when he saw the beast. He had consistently told Merlin that his powers weren’t to be in such whimsical manners, but Merlin was still young and didn’t completely understand.

“Wow.” Persephone watched the dragon rear back and let out a silent roar before coming back down and curling up. She glanced at Hades before looking back down at Merlin. “That’s very cool, Merlin.”

He beamed. “Father’s teaching me how to control fire.” He chirped. And there was another source of grief for Hades. Merlin cared little about learning the _proper_ use of hellfire, and was only interested in making his shadow dragons breath fire. _Like a real dragon_ , he had claimed. The first time Hades had made the mistake of telling Merlin that his powers were not to be used for such trivialities, the boy had begun crying and the Furies had swept in to console him.

She smiled at him. “You’ll make all the boys jealous.”

“Come along now, Merlin.” He grasped Merlin’s shoulders. The dragon dissipated. “It’s time for your lessons.”

His son frowned a little at the sudden departure and he looked up at his father. “But I want to show her more shadows!” He pouted and looked sullen. Hades looked to Persephone, who was covering her mouth, although her shoulders were shaking.

She managed to compose herself and faced Merlin once again. “I’ll be around for a very long time. I’ll be giving you lessons too and you can show me what you can do with your shadows later, okay?”

He thought about it and nodded. “Promise?” He held out a small hand, pinky extended. “You have to pinky promise.”

She looked him solemnly in the eye and hooked her pinky with his. “I promise. Now, be a good boy and go with your father. He’s going to show you some cool things in your lesson today.” Hades’ mouth thinned at the lie. She looked up at him and smirked. Queen of the Underworld indeed. 

* * *

 

“Sweetheart, I’m going to miss you. Promise you’ll write to me?” Hunith enveloped Merlin in a hug. He nodded, trying hard not to cry as he wrapped his arms around his mom.

Hades stood off to the side a little, watching their farewells. “Father, you’ll protect mom, right?” He looked up at the god.

He nodded. “I promise you that I’ll keep your mother safe.”

“Bye mom. I’ll see you in three months.” The deal was that Merlin would spend half the year training at the Avalon estate, a place where demigods went when their powers grew too strong, two months in the Underworld, and four months with Hunith. Most other demigods only spent summers there, but as a son of Hades, his powers were much too strong to be shielded for the majority of the year.

“Hunith, it’s time.” Hunith looked at her uncle, Gaius Wilson, who was also a demigod (son of Asclepius, the God of medicine) and he gave her a gentle smile.

“Of course, Gaius. Please take care of him.” She hugged Merlin again and then hugged Gaius before stepping away.

Merlin stood silently as Hades whisked Hunith away and he stared at where she was for a few seconds before Gaius gently shook his shoulder. “Come along, Merlin. I’ll take you to the Hades house. Unfortunately, there aren’t any other campers that live there, but I’m sure you’ll make friends with the other campers.” Merlin nodded before he followed Gaius, his suitcase trailing after him. “So tell me, what can you do? I’ve heard that Hades has been training you?” They were passing by several houses, some larger than others. All had their own distinct architecture and Merlin saw names of different gods and goddesses emblazoned above the doorways.

Merlin looked up at him. “Do you want a demonstration?” His voice was soft and sad, as if he were fighting back tears. Gaius couldn’t blame him- most of the demigods under his care didn’t arrive until they were at least fifteen and Merlin was only ten.

“How about once we get to your house, we’ll put your things down and I’ll take you to the training grounds and you can show me what you can do.” He nodded.

Merlin gave a small smile. “Okay.” They stopped in front of an opulent house and Merlin stared at it. It was large and dark, a clear homage to the God of Death and Wealth.

“Welcome to the Hades House, Merlin.” Gaius smiled.

“Wow.” Merlin and his mother were by no means poor, since his father did provide for them, but this house was over-the-top luxurious. He wandered in and was immediately assaulted by a feeling of home, as it mimicked the palace that he spent a lot of time in growing up.

“Come, place your things down and I’ll take you to the training grounds.” 

A few minutes later, Merlin was standing in front of the newly destroyed obstacle course with Gaius staring incredulously at him. He turned around and looked up at Gaius. “How did I do?” He asked, eyes wide. The caretaker shook his head. Of course Hades would teach Merlin how to fight in the most destructive manner possible. The obstacle course was supposed to test agility and strategy, but the son of Hades had merely blasted everything in his way with black hellfire.

“Well, you weren’t actually supposed to destroy anything, but…” Gaius surveyed the grounds and sighed a little, thankful that they had sons and daughters of Hephaestus who would help clean this up and rebuild it. “You did well, my boy, all things considering.”

He went to clap Merlin on the shoulder, but withdrew it suddenly when he heard warning growls and barks. Merlin’s eyes widened and he turned. “Down, Kil!” He said warningly to a large black hound that was staring at Gaius. He looked around in confusion. The beast hadn’t been there ten seconds ago. “It’s okay, he’s a friend.”

“A friend?” Gaius raised his eyebrow. Merlin looked down abashedly.

“This is Kilgharrah. He’s my hellhound.”

“… Merlin, we don’t allow pets here.” Gaius said sternly.

“But sir, he’s… he’s my friend!” Merlin looked like he was about to cry and the elderly man had to concede to the blue eyes, so like his niece’s.

“He’s your responsibility, Merlin.” Gaius warned.

Merlin nodded. “Of course he is!”

A bell rang and Gaius looked up. “It’s almost time for dinner.” The eight year old turned around, but Gaius remembered something suddenly, “Oh, and Merlin?”

He whirled around to face Gaius. “Yes?”

“There’s someone here who will help take care of you while you’re here.” Gaius had requested this from Hunith and Hades when he heard about Merlin coming to him, not confident in his abilities to handle a demigod of his strength.

Merlin cocked his head. “Who-“

“Merlin!” He faced the voice to see his stepmother smiling broadly at him. He let out a shriek of delight and ran to her, throwing his arms around her. Gaius watched the two embrace with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silence fell over the clearing as everyone turned to watch the fight between the Goddess of Chaos and the son of Hades. All except for one. His eyes were fixed on the weapon lying just out of arm's reach. 
> 
> He couldn't miss. For Merlin's sake.

_“You’re my son.”_ Arthur Pendragon sat there in shock as the words replayed over and over in his head. Him, the son of Zeus? This was the stuff that happened in stories, not… to _him_. He was just a normal high school student who did well in class, had high expectations of him from his CEO father… He wasn’t aware that the Greek Gods still existed… or that they did exist. Uther was tight-lipped next to him and his face had gone a puce color. This was clearly not what he had been expecting when he walked into this business meeting.

“Arthur is my son.” Uther snapped furiously at the broad-shouldered male in front of him. His body was tense, as if ready to leap across the desk and wrap his hands around his the throat of his ‘business associate’.

“I sired him, Uther Pendragon.” Zeus’ eyes were filled with amusement, as if surveying the mortality of the man before him.

“Y… My wife was faithful to me.” It made Arthur’s heart clench when he realized that Uther couldn’t even say her name.

“Ygraine was very loyal to you.” He nodded serenely, a clear contrast to Uther’s rage, which only grew. “It was admirable.”

“Then how can Arthur be _your son_?!” He raged.

The god’s peaceful smile disappeared, replaced by a frown. “You forget who I am. I do not need that sort of physical contact to implant my child.” He sneered haughtily. Arthur thought of the tale of Danaë, which told of the daughter of the King of Argos being prophesized to give birth to a son that would kill her father, and as a preventive measure, the king had her locked in a bronze tower. Despite this, Zeus came to her in a rain of gold and impregnated her.

It seemed as if Uther took even more offense to that comment. His face turned more red. Arthur knew his father well enough to know that this type of anger stemmed from the deep pain he was feeling.

Before Uther could rage more, Zeus spoke, his tone more gentle. “Her death was a tragedy of course. I personally ensured that she is at peace.”

At that, Uther relaxed a little. “So say that Arthur _is_ your son,” He began, slowly, “Why come now to claim him?”

“He is in danger.” That threat made Uther clench his fists. “Not from me. His powers make him a beacon to monsters.”

“Did you say monsters?” Arthur stared at the Olympian, not registering that those words had fallen from his mouth.

Zeus nodded. “Because of your heritage, you have become a beacon drawing monsters to you.”

“How do I protect him then?” Uther demanded, looking down at Arthur, as if to make sure he was still there.

“There’s a place for children just like Arthur.” Zeus gave a small smile. “I will take you there.” 

* * *

Arthur’s head slammed forward as he face planted into the table as he contemplated the strange turn of events in the past day. He was now under Gaius’ care and had been instructed to settle in before another demigod would show him around. The house he had been given was gorgeous, golden and embellished with lightning bolts, the signature of Zeus. Arthur chose the room with the largest window on the highest spot possible and he was staring out the window.

There was a knock at the door and Arthur sprang up, running downstairs to open the door. A dark-skinned girl stood there. She smiled at him and Arthur felt himself blush. Her hair was curly and tied back in a ponytail, with a few locks framing her petite face. She was very pretty. “Hi, my name’s Guinevere, but you can call me Gwen.”

“Arthur.” He stepped outside and locked the door. She began walking towards the rest of the houses at a surprisingly fast pace for a girl her size. Arthur had to struggle to keep up a little.

“We were all so surprised to find out another demigod was a child of the Big Three! Not that that’s a bad thing.” She looked up at him apprehensively, as if afraid of insulting him. He was just confused.  

“Big Three?” What the hell did that mean?

“Oh, uhm.” She shifted her gaze back ahead of her, to see where she was walking. “Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon are the Big Three. We have a son of Hades here and you’re obviously a son of Zeus.”

“Huh.” Arthur was intrigued.

“So there all of the houses correspond to a Greek god or goddess. The smaller cottages are for minor gods and goddesses.” Arthur nodded, looking at the houses. Each was distinct in their design and he was pleased to see that there were many teenagers milling around, doing all sorts of activities. There were a group playing soccer, and Arthur itched to join in. There was another group who seemed to be training in hand-to-hand combat, a few people were lounging around with books in their hands, and there seemed to be a circle of teens that were tanning. That confused Arthur a little, as all of them were exceedingly attractive, from what he could tell.

Gwen followed his gaze and saw where he was staring. “Those are some of the children of Aphrodite.” It was clear from her tone that she didn’t quite approve.

Arthur realized that he didn’t know Gwen’s parentage. It seemed to be an open secret around here. “Who’s your Olympian parent?”

“Hephaestus!” Gwen smiled brightly. “God of the forge.” They then looped around the houses, with Gwen pointing out each house and telling Arthur whose house it was, despite the names above the doorways. There were three grandiose houses in the front in a row and behind them were some other slightly smaller, but still grand, houses. Circling around those houses were the smaller cottages of what seemed to be the minor gods and goddesses. They ended that tour in front of the House of Zeus.

His eyes landed on the house that stood next to his. Arthur paused and stared. It was dark and almost gaudy in the design, but it managed to look elegant and austere. There were green flames encircling the pillars and there was gold inlaid into the architecture with jewels encrusted artfully around the doorway. “Hades, I’m assuming?” He turned to Gwen, who nodded.

“Would you like to meet Merlin?” That must be the son of Hades she had mentioned.

“I’m sure I’ll meet him eventually.”

“I’m sure you will.” Arthur started at the new voice, which seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

“Merlin.” Gwen tutted admonishingly. “That’s no way to greet a newcomer.”

Arthur was shocked to see a tall, lanky boy materialize from the shadows. He had a large grin on his face and he shrugged unabashedly. “Hi Gwen. You must be Arthur.” He extended his hand.

The blond stared at him in shock. “How did… What…”

“Shadow teleportation.” Merlin shrugged.

“What…”

“Arthur, come on, let me show you the rest of the grounds.” Gwen urged quietly.

“Can I come with?” Merlin asked eagerly. Gwen eyed him warily. “I promise not to blow anything up.”

She shook her head, but that was accompanied by a small grin. “All right. Come on then.”

“Great! Let me go grab Kil.”

“Wait, Mer-“ Too late, the boy had already materialized away. “Oh great.” She sighed.

“Kil?” Arthur turned and looked at her, beyond lost.

“You’ll see.” A loud bark made Arthur turn around and he came face to face with an enormous black hound. The dog sniffed at Arthur warily before glancing disinterestedly at Gwen. It bounded back to Merlin and nudged him affectionately before rearing up and placing his paws on his shoulder.

Merlin laughed. “Down, Kil.” He rubbed his head and looked at Gwen and Arthur. “Shall we go?”

“What…” It was almost unbelieveable, but this day was just getting stranger and stranger.

“This is Kilgharrah. He’s a hellhound.” Merlin explained. “Let’s go! Where to first, Gwen?”

“I was thinking we could check out the training grounds and then the lake?” She suggested.

“Sounds good.” Arthur smiled at her and they began walking.

“Son of Hades, huh.” Arthur glanced at Merlin.

He suddenly looked to be on guard. “Yes.”  

“Get a lot of hate for that? You know, being the prince of the Underworld and all?”

His eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”

“I can’t imagine the other demigods treat you very well.” Arthur didn’t quite know how to talk to this strange child.

“…” Merlin glared at Arthur and Kilgharrah growled warningly. “You’re a prat.” He announced before whirling around and stalking off, the hellhound at his heels.

“That was….” Gwen frowned but then forced a smile. “That was interesting.”

“That wasn’t smart of me, was it?” Arthur blew out a sigh.

“Not really, no. Merlin will make you pay for that in capture the flag, but you know…” She chuckled. “Just don’t antagonize him. He’s easily the most powerful demigod here. Although, I suppose as a son of Zeus, you can rival him.”

“Gwen, I didn’t even know I was a son of Zeus until earlier today.” He shook his head.

“I suppose that’s true, but don’t underestimate yourself!” She gave him a bright grin.

Arthur gave a grim smile back and stopped, eyes widening when he saw the training ground in front of him. There were targets lining one end of the field and weapon racks on the other. About thirty other teenagers were on the field in front of him, working on their sword work. “This is great.”

“Isn’t it?” Gwen picked up a longsword from the nearby weapons rack. “How’s your weapon work?” She teased, spinning it around.

Arthur smirked and picked up a sword as well. He tested the weight before moving into a fighting stance, and Gwen’s smiled widened.

After a few minutes of light sparring, Arthur had disarmed the smaller girl and she nodded in approval. “I see you’ve had experience.”

“I took fighting classes when I was younger. The sword was always my favorite.” He hefted it back onto the rack and wiped his hands off on his shirt. “You’re not bad yourself.”

She shrugged. “I prefer being on the creation end of the weapons.”

* * *

Merlin concentrated on the shadows in his room, his irritation at Arthur distracting him. Of course, a son of Zeus would be an arrogant jock, no better than the children of Ares that took every chance they could to mock him. No one in the estate would dare touch him, not with Kilgharrah around and especially not with his abilities, so they verbally abused them. After he had thoroughly scarred Cedric, none of the other demigods would go near him. They talked about him behind his back and would always gather around a safe distance away whenever Hades showed up. The lessons had decreased to once every two weeks during his time above, which made Merlin feel lonelier. He _missed_ the Underworld. Persephone had regretfully left Merlin after he turned thirteen, due to her duties as Queen of the Underworld. The day she left had been a disaster. He still hadn’t quite mastered his powers under extreme emotion and that was the day several of the demigods decided that now that he no longer had Persephone to protect him, he was a prime target. It had been a literal nightmare. Gaius had to summon Hades to control the Furies in their frenzy, but what was worse was that Merlin had accidentally opened up a massive pit that encompassed the majority of the estate and several of the demigods had sustained major injuries from the fall. For a year after that incident, Merlin had banished Kilgharrah from his side and refused to use his powers for even the smallest of tasks. Gaius had been extremely concerned for him, and would often visit him in his self-made prison within the Hades House. Hades had been at a loss to what he should do. Finally, after a few months of isolation, Merlin had realized that not only did he miss the shadows, but they missed him as well.

The memories of that incident in combination with his encounter with Arthur caused anger and sadness bubble up within him and his powers practically pleaded to be unleashed. So he did, lashing every shadow in the camp to himself and thrusting them outwards. The estate was plunged into darkness.

He held the darkness for a few minutes before he lost control over them and was forced to release it. Banging came seconds later on his door. Weary, he materialized a solid shadow figure to open the door and lead whoever was there to his room. Gaius came in, a disapproving look on his face. “What was that, Merlin?”

“I lost control.” Merlin replied, tiredly, burying his head into his pillow.

He heard Gaius sigh and sit in the chair next to his bed. “Don’t. That’s Persephone’s chair.” He kept his step-mother’s chair there in hopes that one day, she would return to him. Merlin lifted his head up and stared at Gaius until he obliged and pulled up a different chair.

“What’s wrong?” Gaius asked.

“Nothing.” He muttered and curled up. “I’m tired.”

“Merlin….” The caretaker recognized that he wasn’t going to get anything else from Merlin and he patted him on the head. “Get some rest. I’ll send someone over with some food, okay?” Merlin nodded and he heard Gaius leave his room and subsequently, the house. The lock clicked and he fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of the Underworld and his mother. 

* * *

“Ready to get your butt kicked, Emrys?” Merlin ignored Valiant’s taunts and the subsequent jeers from the rest of the House of Ares. They were standing in a circle in the middle of a meadow on the estate.  

“All right, demigods. There are going to be two teams.” Gaius unfurled a scroll and began reading off teams. The House of Hades and House of Zeus were on opposite teams and Merlin sighed when he realized that he was teamed up with Athena’s house and the leader of the house glared at Merlin, remembering the last time they had been on opposite sides. Merlin had summoned a shadow army and apparently it triggered nightmares for the rest of the demigods despite no actual harm being done. It was particularly triggering for Sariel, who still didn’t quite forgive him. “Remember the rules, no magical items of any kind.” Gaius gave Merlin a warning glance. Merlin held up his hands. “Kilgharrah is banned from the game.” Sighs of relief all around. “No killing.” That had happened _once_ because the bloody son of Ares had decided to _tackle_ a death reaper. You did _not_ tackle a death reaper. It had turned out all right after Merlin had commanded the death reaper to bring back the demigod. The Fates hadn’t been particularly happy, but Merlin had refused to budge on the subject. “No mauling.” Okay, that was on the other demigods. “You may restrain other demigods, but no gagging them. Are the rules clear to everyone?” A chorus of yes echoed. “The flag cannot be hidden and once placed cannot be moved. With that… Let the game begin!” The two teams ran off in opposite directions and Merlin was surprised when the flag was thrust in front of his face. He looked up to see Sariel, the unofficial leader of the House of Athena.

“Here Emrys.” Merlin was taken aback.

“Sariel, I don’t know if-“

“ _Take it._ ” She hissed. “We don’t have time for debating! Go to Pan’s Field and work your magic.”

Merlin took the flag obligingly and shadow teleported away. Just before he teleported, he heard Sariel calling out commands. He did have to admit that she had charisma like no other and was every bit as confident and poised as he imagined a demigod should be.

He found a clearing in the forest and he grabbed a long branch to tie the flag to before stabbing it into the ground. Then as an afterthought, with a few hand motions, he opened up a ravine surrounding the flag. In the distance, he saw the blue armbands of his teammates and he made them a bridge to cross over to the flag.

He saw that it was about five other demigods. Sariel wasn’t amongst them, but Merlin knew that she was probably leading the attack on the other team.

Leon, who was considered the second in command within the House, was there with Gwaine of House of Dionysius, Elena, daughter of Apollo, Mordred, son of Hecate, and the twins Christine and Carolyn, daughters of Athena. Leon came forward and faced Merlin. “We’re here to help you guard the flag.”

Merlin nodded.

“Sariel wants you to help incapacitate as many of the enemies as you can.” Christine piped up. “She sent the rest of Apollo and Hecate to scout for the flag. The rest of the team is on incapacitation duty.”

Merlin nodded. “Do you need me to do anything before I leave?”

Leon surveyed the area critically. “I think maybe sealing the earth would be a good idea. It wouldn’t do to leave us with nowhere to run should the enemy find us.” Merlin hadn’t thought of that.

The raven head nodded and did that, trying to quietly close the gap, which… based on Leon’s wince, it didn’t work.

“Do you want me to-“

“No, trust Sariel’s judgment. Go.” Leon drew his sword, followed by everyone else drawing their weapons. Merlin nodded and shadowed away. 

* * *

Arthur crouched down further under the bush he was hiding under, watching the flag. He knew that some of his other teammates were hiding around him and he tightened the grip on his sword. He saw Gwen shift from where she was perched in a tree, her bow in her hand, magically modified to incapacitate the opponent without harming them. He had been impressed with how quickly she had scaled to that height.

All of a sudden, a tall Asian girl broke through the growth, a staff in her hands, which was a curious choice of a weapon, but the staff looked sturdy and Arthur could see that she had a sword sheathed at her side. This must have been the famous Sariel, who was the daughter of Athena. Her father was a famous martial artist, but she was talented in her own right, having been an international martial arts champion multiple times. She was also rumored to be so intelligent that she was considered a child prodigy. Her eyes darted around and with shocking speed, she took cover as Gwen shot an arrow at her and disappeared under the growth, using it to her advantage. Arthur started when a body was thrown out into the middle and she used this temporary distraction to dart out and grab the flag, sidestepping Gwen’s next arrow. Arthur couldn’t take it anymore, he burst out from his hiding place and he saw that the rest of the defenders did as well, but to their chagrin, more demigods from the opposing team also came out and engaged the others. Arthur saw that Gwen had been incapacitated by a stealthy arrow from another one of Athena’s children and he cursed as he swung his sword at Sariel. She blocked the swing, bracing the staff with both hand and she pushed Arthur back before executing a maneuver to sweep his feet out from under him. Arthur fell and scrambled back onto his feet, but she had already disappeared in the midst of the battle. Pushing through, he searched for her, but the chaos confused him.

“Merlin!” At that call, Arthur whirled around and saw Sariel at the edge of the battle. He ducked and dodged his way over there but was immobilized by a shadow tendril. He tugged at the tendril before trying to yank his foot out, but to no avail. With all of his strength, he attempted to pull his foot out, and he felt anger bubble up as he was thoroughly stuck. To his surprise, sparks of lightning ran down his arm and he stopped struggling as he stared at the sparks. They stopped as soon as his anger abated and he concentrated, attempting to recall the sparks again, but suddenly, Gaius’ voice boomed through the trees. “Blue team has successfully captured and arrived at their base with the red flag. Blue team is the winner!” Cheers erupted around Arthur and despite losing, he couldn’t help but smile.

“It was a lost cause from the start anyways.” Valiant mumbled as he threw his sword down. “Fucking Emrys.” He glared him.

Arthur noticed Merlin behind the rest of the group, looking a bit forlorn and he slowed down intentionally to join the raven head. “Congratulations.” Merlin looked at him, eyes wide. “Nice touch with the shadows.”

“It was Sariel’s idea.” Merlin shrugged. “She’s a brilliant strategist.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, you know.” Arthur murmured, bumping his shoulder gently.

“I felt the sparks.” Merlin replied.

“That was unintentional.” Arthur admitted.

“Huh… Son of Zeus indeed.” They reached the circle of houses and Merlin paused in front of the obsidian house of Hades. “Well… This is my stop.” He gave a small mocking bow. “Have a good night, Arthur.”

Arthur shook his head. “Good night, Merlin.” He let a grin emerge on his face as he watched Merlin enter the house. He thought he could learn to like it here.

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you'd like to see what other shenanigans I get up to, my tumblr is merlin-the-dragonlord. 
> 
> Comments make me happy and more motivated to write, so please let me know what you think of the story so far!


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